“Bringing this opportunity to Buffalo allows local residents to communicate directly with EPA experts”

Joseph Gardella, John and Frances Larkin Professor of Chemistry

University at Buffalo

Leading environmental citizens from Western New York will meet
at the University at Buffalo on May 8 for an Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) workshop devoted to leveraging community
participation as a tool for monitoring the environment.

The forum will focus on scientific methods, providing citizen
scientists with information on how to design and execute
high-quality studies that grab the attention of regulators and
industry.

“Leveraging Environmental Monitoring — Key Steps in
Producing Credible Data” will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 5
p.m. on Wednesday, May 8 in 509 O’Brian Hall on UB’s
North Campus.

During the training, citizen scientists will have the
opportunity to learn about quality assurance and effective methods
for collecting environmental data. Participants will also meet
officials from the EPA and New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation.

About 40 to 50 environmental advocates from the community are
expected to attend, including many who have already worked on
projects that aim to monitor toxic waste or protect the
region’s air and water quality.

The forum is the third that EPA Region 2, which serves New York
State and other areas, has held at UB this year to help the Buffalo
Niagara community find innovative solutions for improving the
area’s sustainability. The previous events, in March and
April, focused on green infrastructure and environmental
justice.

“I am very happy that the EPA has chosen UB for a third
collaborative workshop this year for the Western New York
community,” said Joseph Gardella, PhD, UB John and Frances
Larkin Professor of Chemistry, who has partnered with the UB Office
of Sustainability and the UB 2020 Civic Engagement and Public
Policy Strategic Strength to plan the workshop.

“I had the chance to participate in Citizen Science
workshops in New York and New Jersey last year, and bringing this
opportunity to Buffalo allows local residents to communicate
directly with EPA experts,” Gardella said. “So much has
resulted from citizen data collection in Western New
York.”

Gardella has partnered with the community on environmental
projects for nearly two decades, with one recent collaboration
providing an overview of hazardous waste sites in Erie, Cattaraugus
and Niagara counties.

Other examples of local environmental monitoring by citizen
scientists and community organizations include monitoring of
waterways by Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER and community efforts to
hold Tonawanda Coke accountable for pollution.

One of the biggest issues citizen scientists face today is
getting their voices heard. The EPA workshop at UB will give them
the tools they need to complete studies that will be taken
seriously by state and federal regulators.